DVR Purge: 11/12-11/18

 

 Whoops. Wrong filibuster.

That's better.

Past Purges

SHIELD "The Hub"
My favorite line this week:
Simmons: "I like following the rules and doing what's expected of me. It makes me feel nice."
This show still isn't perfect but I thought found the pairing of Fitz and Ward and Simmons and Skye were refreshing changes of pace. They are still doing just enough to keep me interested.

Brooklyn Nine Nine "Old School"
This episode fully pleased me. It is the most like an adult that Peralta has been yet. They showed him being a fully competent cop too. Most of the laughs of the night came from Det. Diaz for me though. I love the cut to her threatening the stenographer. Oh, and Santiago recognizing she's being manipulated by Capt. Holt but not caring was funny too.

New Girl "Menus"
Ok, I'm a lot more for Coach as a regular if this is what it will look like and I approve. Him re-meeting Cece was quite funny. It'll be funny seeing how a first season character fits into a third season world is off to an entertaining start. Jess's feud with the Chinese restaurant owner was weird. It fit though.

The Mindy Project "You've Got Sext"
Mindy: "Are you watching the nature channel? I love this. It makes me so happy I don't live in those places."
Was it my recording or was the sound a little off for a lot of the outdoor scenes. Regardless, a very good episode. They continue the outstanding record of guest stars. I didn't realize how much I missed Ellie Kemper on my TV until she turned up this week. On a similar note, I forget how much I miss seeing It's Always Sunny when Glenn Howerton shows up. Let's just hope they can build on the momentum of this episode.

Trophy Wife "Lice and Beary White"
Am I just in good mood or were all the shows Tuesday exceedingly good? Jackie and Kate realizing they both used to shampoo dogs was a fun throwaway joke. I love that the solution to the Hillary situation is to run away. I'm so tired of the Solomon solution being used, so Bert and Warren turning it on it's head is very welcome.

The Middle "The Jump"
This episode prominently features a puppy so I approve it. I sure hope the solution to Axl's problems isn't for him to move back in and drop out of school. That's such a lazy fix (I'm looking at you, Modern Family).

Back in the Game "Safety Squeeze"
Oh, is this the part of the season when we get an episode highlighting each of the kids? It was a charming enough episode and Tank vs. Dick was good for a couple laughs. I'm liking Gigi a lot more than I expected I would in the pilot.

Modern Family "A Fair to Remember"
As often is the case, I'm gonna need to break this down by character but overall, I have good feelings toward this episode:
Cam & Mitchell - It's weird how much I like them when they aren't undercutting each other. Mitchell basically just plays the chorus to Cam's football team issue. I loved the hitting vs. vacuuming away your demons joke and Cam yelling about bad calls from the sidelines.
Jay - He and Key or Peele was a familiar but effectively done buddy cop spoof. Key or Peele was excellent here.
Gloria & Manny - Seen it before but it was really just a means to the end of getting Manny on the football team, so whatever.
Alex & Luke - A bit of an underwhelming climax to the story. I appreciate that they are continuing to let Luke grow up though.
Phil & Claire - Poor Phil. I'm glad he got his Chinese acrobats. Had it ended with him being shamed from singing, I'd've been very disappointed.
Haley & the manny - Oh, right, like I'm going to not like that. Can I request that we formally retire the Manny/manny joke though.

Parks & Rec. "Filibuster/Recall Vote"
I'm not even going to try to break this episodes in my head. Assorted thoughts:
-As much Tatiana Maslany as possible, please. She close to displacing Natalie Morales for "best potential girlfriend for Tom who can't be a regular due to other jobs"...Ok, it may not be a large club, but it is a very good one.
-I don't remember only Donna and Ron being in a story before, but if this is the result, I support it entirely.
-I'm sad and surprised that Leslie lost the recall vote. From her point of view, that's a bummer. For my enjoyment of the show, I'm ok with this. Councilwoman Knope has not yielded the consistent results the rest of the show has.
-Does this mean this is the end of Rent-a-Swag? I hope not.

The Big Bang Theory "The Itchy Brain Simulation"
I'm not wild about the pettiness of Sheldon in this story (does the audience really need a reason to sympathize with him? Isn't he the villain of the series at this point?). It gave Johnny Galecki some funny physical comedy to do though, so it isn't all bad. Then we get the return of Kate Micucci. That's always going to be welcome.

The Crazy Ones "The Stan Wood Account"
Is it just me or did this episode not have an ending? It certainly ended but not a lot felt like it was resolved. I think that's a big difference between the comedies I like and love. I love ones that end where is best for the story. I like the ones that end where is best for one last laugh. I like to think the final act at the used car lot was inspired by The Good: Buy Hard, Sell Hard.

Parenthood "The Ring"
This is another one of those shows I must break up my discussion:
-Zeek and Camille. Zeek having fun was nice but the end was pretty heartbreaking.
-Jasmine and Crosby. He'll grow up one of these days. I'm glad that they had an episode with an ending like the minivan episode because sometimes Jasmine seems to only be written as a foil for him.
-Julia and Joel. I don't like them having marital issue. That's because it's tough to watch, not that the writers are doing a bad job. Far from it.
-Amber and Ryan. This is not going to end well, is it? Oh boy, next week is going to be rough.
-Adam and Kristina. I don't care. I want this story to end.
-Sarah. A small story. No complaints. I'd like to see more from Hank but he isn't a Braverman and I'm sure he'll return in time.
-Haddie...oh, I'm sorry. I guess she doesn't exist anymore.

SNL "Lady Gaga"
Mostly a funny episode. It wasn't the most diverse use of Gaga which was a little disappointing. Something like the "Waking Up with Kimye" sketch had her even more uncomfortable than I think they intended for her to be. The Upper West Side 2063 sketch was weird and somber and the laughs didn't so much matter. It was not a common thing for SNL to do but I liked it. I wasn't crazy about the Weekend Update until Taram Killam broke as the speechwriter. Enough here to make men excited for if she ever hosts again.

The Walking Dead "Live Bait"
This week was all about character rehab. This is the kind of episode I'd've liked before he went insane last year. He's getting the Loki treatment here. He's a bad guy but the writers/fans/etc. like him so he's being softened. It's not a horrible idea but it is a little transparent. David Morrissey does a great job. I don't know what to make with his travelling buddies, or, as I like to call them: girl who would be played by Michelle Rodriguez if she wasn't already busy, girl who looks way too much like Lauren Cohan, and replacement daughter. I get that not everyone understands as much about the zombies as we do, but aiming for the head seems like first day shit. You're telling me that would-be Michelle Rodriguez wouldn't have aimed for the head just once through sheer statistics? Whatever. Small girpe. It looks like they did a good enough job because, damn it, I think I'm pulling for the Governor now.

How I Met Your Mother "Mom and Dad"
At this point the show is way closer to 30 Rock than Friends. I'm not sure when that happened but it won't change anything. Both are great shows so no reason to be down on it. I really dug the "Sabotage" reference although that whole plotline seemed like it was trying to reference a dozen things at once. I didn't realize we needed to have an emotional beat for Billy Zabka. Even though it wasn't expected, it was welcome. His perspective, always being hated by anyone he saw a movie with, was very amusing. I'm so confused by Marshall's story. How close are they to where Sherri Springfield needed to be? If they were that close, why would she think she couldn't make it to the model UN event? It's odd, but the pro-oil spin at the end surprised me and got a good chuckle. With barely a day left until the wedding and the story only going until a few hours after said wedding, does this mean an increased frequency of time hopping stories? I hope so. There's gotta be at least one from the Mother's perspective coming up, right?

Movie Reaction: About Time

Formula: Love, Actually * The Time Traveler's Wife

Why I Saw It: An interesting premise can go a long way.

Cast: I don't remember Domhnall Gleeson from anything but his hair color and accent should've led me to assume he was a Weasley. He is every bit as charming as Hugh Grant at his best. Rachel McAdams is built for a role like this (insanely attractive, but still seems attainable). It also helps that both can believably play 20-35 years old. Bill Nighy is wonderful as the dad, cracking jokes and delivering knockout dramatic beats. Lydia Wilson plays Gleeson's free-spirited sister. I've never seen her before, but of the supporting characters, she was the biggest surprise.

Plot: A 21-year old guy finds out that he has inherited the ability to travel back in time. With this, he chooses to seek true-love. That's how the movie is being sold and it's certainly what it is for most of the first hour. A surprising amount is about Gleeson's relationship with his father and the movie as a whole is way more concerned with how to live life to the fullest than the RomCom trappings. It's a much deeper movie than at first it appears. I was relieved that the movie never tries to understand the time-traveling. The audience is supposed to accept it and go from there which is probably the only way a movie like this can work.

Elephant in the Room: So, it's not a romance or a comedy? I wouldn't go that far. It has some romance to it. I would definitely classify this as a date movie. It is also quite funny. I kind of forget the definition of dramatic irony but if I recall correctly, 95% of the laughs in the movie come from that. That means it can be classified as a Romantic Comedy. There's also some drama in there too. If I'm going to label this, I'd say it's a coming of age story.

To Sum Things Up:I really liked this movie. It's a little long. That's about my only complaint and it's a toothless one. I'm not calling this one of my favorite movies of the year, but I could easily see it working it's way up there five years from now. I know for a fact it's one of those movies I'll have to watch every time I see it on TBS in the middle of the afternoon. That's a list that includes The Shawshank Redemption and Bring It On, so I'll let you decide what that means exactly.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend

Delayed Reaction: The FP

The Pitch: A timeless tale about love, betrayal, and DDR in a dystopian, Mad Max future that looks like it cost $17.34 to make.

What Took Me So Long: I don't find movies like this. They find me.

Why I Saw It: It begins with a friend saying "you won't believe this movie" and ends with you saying "I can't believe this movie." It's bad but a little brilliant in that I cannot for the life of me determine if the people who made this movie realize how bad it is. It is so incredibly over the top without ever winking to the camera. Until I see something else that the Trost family (seriously, check the credits. There's a clan of them behind this), I won't know what their angle is.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: This is a bad movie, and like most bad movies, it should be enjoyed with others. Let me be clear though. This is a bad movie, not a movie that could be good but does a few things remarkably well. It is beginning to end not very good, to the point that the badness is so exact and copious that you start to believe it could be brilliant, even though it isn't because it is plain bad. The dialogue is atrocious. There is no production value. The acting is...tricky. The delivery is awful but the conviction is there. I'll put it this way. Of the 1 star movies I've found, this is one I'd be likely to see again.

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Ghost Rider

The Pitch: A guy sells his soul to the devil, by accident or something, and rides a motorcycle. Oh, and he turns into a fire monster thing, and only at night because it's the devil. You know what, it doesn't matter what it's about. This is a Marvel property, so this is getting green-lit regardless of what we pitch.

Cheer up Nic Cage. It gets better.

What Took Me So Long: Is "It looked stupid" a good enough reason?

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) There really was no reason to see this. It's a Marvel production from Fox, so it doesn't even belong to the larger Marvel universe (that would be Disney). While not doing anything to particularly offend me, this is lazily unremarkable.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Am I the only one bothered by the age difference of Eva Mendes and Nic Cage in this. Their flashback selves seem to be about the same age, but Mendes and Cage in no way look like they belong in the same age group. That took me out of the movie almost completely by itself. Beyond that, it's just a boring origin story. All this stuff about working for the devil and riding on a motorcycle are hokie. Oh, and the animation of the Ghost Rider looks bad. That's all I can say about that. I can't call this the worst Marvel movie, but it is certainly one that should be forgotten. I can't believe this had a sequel.

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Punchline

The Pitch: I want to make a movie about the world of stand up comedy. No, god no! Not how it actually is. Let's do the Disney version of the that.

What Took Me So Long: I never knew about this movie until about a month before I got it from Netflix. That probably didn't bode well for it now that I think of it.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Sally Field. Tom Hanks. Jon Goodman. Set in the back drop of the 80s stand-up comedy scene. What could go wrong?

Why I Wish I Hadn't: It turns out, a lot can go wrong. First of all, it wasn't that funny. According to this movie, every comedian tells almost exclusively hack jokes. I've seen enough stand-up from then or before to know that it isn't a generational issue. I'm pretty sure when it came out, most of this was considered lazy comedy then too. Now, I realize that I probably know more about the comedy scene than the average Joe who this movie was aimed toward. Still, it is absolutely absurd that Sally Field's character is able to go from novice who can't even deliver jokes that she paid for to able to win a major competition in as short a time as she does. I found this entire movie to be laughable only in how bad it was. I assume other people will like it more than I did. Even ignoring the aspects of the comedy world that I didn't enjoy, the plot itself was very pedestrian and unremarkable. I suppose it does a decent job of giving the most basic of insights into the world of comedy and joke-writing though. Oh, and as someone watching this after seeing Forrest Gump, the romance angle between Hanks and Field creeped me out a bit.

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Romeo Must Die

The Pitch: Jet Li and hip-hop. It's a can't miss idea.

What Took Me So Long: I'm not a huge fan of Jet Li or hip-hop.

Why I Saw It: This is supposed to be a 90s retelling of Romeo and Juliet, I suppose. That is, it a retelling that is different than the retelling that Baz Lurhman did a couple years earlier. Basically, Romeo and Juliet in all its iterations is a story that, unlike its protagonists, won't die. Jet Li doing his crazy martial arts moves is always fun to see and I have to admit, Aaliyah is not as bad an actress as I'd've assumed.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: I didn't really know what was going on a lot of the time. I know there was a lot of stuff about Asian and black gangs at war and a football stadium. Mostly though, it was scattered scenes of Jet Li beating people up. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for that if the staging of the fighting is the point of the movie, but this is one of those that tried to give it all too much plot and I could not have cared less.

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: The English Patient

The Pitch: It's a love story for the ages, set in the desert during WWII.

What Took Me So Long: Ever since it came out, it sort of symbolized Oscar movies for me. It was this movie that was impossibly higher brow than me and I'd need a guide book to make my through it. I didn't say this was a correct read of it, but it's hard for an impression made when you were 9 to go away.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I figured it was best to finally demystify the movie. Also, it got me another movie further back in my Oscar winner checklist. At the time of writing this, the next one up is Out of Africa. Oh boy.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: I've so far avoided to say anything of note about this film for a reason. I'm with Elaine on this. Not for me. I tried watching this twice and lost track (via losing interest) both times. I had to go to the Wikipedia page on this and still didn't know what happened. The movie looks good and all that and the acting was fine, but the final product could not have been less to my taste. So boring.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

DVR Purge: 11/6-11/11

Finally! I'm off the Wednesday cycle. I know how many of you will be disappointed by my break from consistency, but I'm about to get a couple days behind, so this was out of necessity. With a lot of heavy hitters taking a break and a surprisingly strong episode, HIMYM is my strong horse for this purge.

 

  Past Purges

The Big Bang Theory "The Proton Displacement"
I wonder how often they are going to dip into the Bob Newhart well now that they've seen how well received it is? I must say, I was surprised how quickly they brought him back. I think both times were within the calendar year. I'm never going to complain about some Newhart though. I was a little disappointed by the use of Bill Nye, except for him interacting with Newhart. It was a bit of a waste, but he isn't a comedic actor quite as much as Newhart, so I can understand the under-utilization. As for the regulars, they were fine. I like that Raj's ability to speak to women hasn't suddenly ended his invitations to girls nights.

The Crazy Ones "Sydney, Australia"
I've learned to always be in favor of Josh Groban in a comedy show. For a singer, the man gets how to do it. I'm curious if the Australian board pitch idea started with the idea of Simon and Zach doing Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and worked backwards from there. Regardless, I approve.

The Michael J Fox Show "Bed Bugs"
I get it. Leigh's annoying, but she's family. Isn't having her live in the same building as Mike's family enough to have her around too much? Did we really need to see her literally living in the apartment? Whatever. I'm not crazy about Ian being the hapless character who gets all the breaks. I'm still looking for some more characterization than "he's smart, but a fuck up."

Parenthood "Speaking of Baggage"
It's weird how no election talk seems to coincide with the better episodes of Parenthood this season. Ray Romano is welcome on this show as long as he wants. Hank is a great character and I continue to love any scene with him and Sarah because it is so awkward and not trying to prove anything. I'm starting to worry about how things are going with Amber and Ryan. This episode was quite ominous. Hopefully Ashes of Rome doesn't get in the way. Speaking of everyone's favorite primetime TV band, do Adam and Crosby just have no other work to do or clients? They must be going broke, right? Whatever. It makes for good TV. I find myself torn between insanely jealous of and completely pitying Drew right now. A very solid episode overall though.

The Walking Dead "Internment"
It wasn't a perfect episode but the dual sequence of Rick and Carl stopping the zombies at the gate while Hershel and then Maggie try to control the infirmary outbreak was one of the best the show has put together. I'm not looking forward to the return of the Governor/ That's a next week problem though. For now, this was a good episode.

HIMYM "Platonish"
Now that's what I'm talking about! This wasn't a perfect episode but if every episode was like this, I'd be really enjoying this season. We get Barney with some wacky hijinkss and also a Mother interaction that, while a little too instantly prophetic, was a great couple scenes. Ted and Marshall at the Harlem Globetrotters game, rooting for the Generals is a funny setting while rehashing the dos and don'ts of Ted and Robin. I'm not sure what the point of the return of Bryan Cranston is, especially considering they apparently couldn't get him in the same room as Ted, but I assume they will play itself out later. The Farhampton Inn was used as a bookend for the stories. You know, if every other week could be like this, I'd be pleased.

Movie Reaction: Thor: The Dark World

Formula: Thor + more world jumping

Why I Saw It: I find the Marvel universe to be one of the most fascinating properties in the movie industry.

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, as I said with Rush, is a movie star. He still feels second tier in this, although I think a lot of that has to do with the character. It's nice to see Natalie Portman in this universe but this character is a little slight, don't you think. She's a scientist, has a little sass, but is mostly just lovesick woman in this. It would be nice for her to be a little more interesting. Tom Hiddleston is as effective as ever as Loki. Personally, I don't quite get why that character is so beloved. Everything people love about him is there though. Thanks to 2 Broke Girls, I forget how funny Kat Dennings is. Her comedic relief is some of the best in the Marvel series. There's too many others to name. I can assure you that this is the highest profile cast of any of the Marvel movies and none of them hurt the movie in the slightest.

Plot: Thor saves the world from certain destruction. Oh, I'm sorry, should I have started that with "spoiler alert"? This is a pretty big story. With all the world hopping, this plays more like Green Lantern* than Iron Man or Captain America. In this case, Thor is battling some group of evil Elves who want revenge on Asgard, I think. Portman's Jane Foster coincidentally ends up with some ancient weapon that puts her right in the middle of this. Honestly, the narrative could've done a much better job explaining the stakes and the context. It's all kept afloat by some good action sequences and healthy sprinkling in of jokes.

*I'm guessing. Still haven't see that one.

Elephant in the Room: How's phase 2 looking after this? I think the ambition of Marvel is wonderful. They are looking for a depth of universe that is almost unparalleled. I'm not comic expert, but The Dark World seems to be much closer to the direction of the Marvel movies than Iron Man 3 and I'm not ready yet to say if I like that or not. The Dark World certainly plays less like a movie in the Post-Avengers world. There's references to SHIELD but there's really no reason why they aren't there. In general, it's hard for me to see why, beyond contractual negotiations, we wouldn't see anyone else from the team. This is a very isolated movie in that respect. It's just Thor, much like Iron Man 3 is just Iron Man. It's hard for me to fathom why this world isn't more filled with these characters. Perhaps that's just me.

To Sum Things Up:
Through two movies, I'm still looking for something in Marvel's Phase 2 to really excite me. I had a feeling I'd have to wait for the next Captain America since he's the only one who stays in the thick of the SHIELD world and it appears that was a correct assumption. This is an entertaining enough superhero movie. There's nothing to set it apart. It doesn't have a particular wit like Iron Man or rage like Hulk. It doesn't look exceptionally great (Man of Steel) or aim for some deeper themes (The Dark Knight). It's pretty much exactly what I expect from it and not much else. Wow, that makes it sound like I didn't enjoy the movie. I did. I didn't love it though.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Scream 4

The Pitch: It's not a reboot. It's like the other Screams but with a younger group of kids. I repeat, it is not a reboot.

What Took Me So Long: I was really underwhelmed by the third one as well as most horror reboots (Note: before seeing it, I did not realize it wasn't a reboot).

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I liked the first two Screams enough that it was worth giving this one a try. Besides, the part of me that likes pretty people on the screen was delighted by Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Alison Brie, Aimee Teegarden, and vintage Courtney Cox and Neve Campbell. That alone would've gotten me to finish it. Thankfully, that wasn't even needed because this was everything you hope for with a Scream movie: thrills, twists, scares, and most importantly, thorough dissection of the horror movie genre.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: I didn't like that I was wrong about who the killer was. I liked the actual identity better though, so that doesn't even count. Yeah, no complaints here except for the mileage I get from the genre to begin with.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend